Category Archives: NHL Analysis

As Lucic remarked, “there’s only one way to overcome this 2-0 loss and that’s for the Bruins to unite”

“We’re going to have to unite as a team here, and do it together.” (Video)

But there’s another component missing here: Focus. No fan who knows this team well really doubts that they’re hungry to go further, and some are even hungry for the ultimate prize. But that goal seems so distant right now that the focus must be on the here and now: Game 3.

What keeps a Bruins from plunging into misery right now is the insight that 2 separate commentators contributed this week on The Sports Hub (98.5 Boston). They remarked that a trip to Montreal is just what the Bruins need right now and that the Bruins went into Game 1 with a little too much uninformed confidence; overconfidence makes you gutsy and sloppy. Maybe a taste of the Bell Center is just what the doctor ordered.

Obvious retort: The Bruins haven’t won a game in Montreal in a long time.Obvious reply: This is the playoffs and an entirely different set of rules apply.

Maybe the Bruins will suddenly start playing like themselves again.

Maybe they’ll stick to short passes, realizing that long passes get intercepted (hear that, Julien?) and score another goal– recall the short-pass goal from Marchand to Bergeron in the last game.

Maybe Lucic will start playing like a professional athlete again.

Maybe Thomas will act like the Vezina winner he is, and begin to control his rebounds.

All this doesn’t seem like much to ask, and if it’s what we get from the Bruins, this will suddenly become a 2-1 series and those numbers ain’t bad. A one win difference will calm everyone down from their current state of panic.

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara was hospitalized last night for dehydration, the team announced this morning. “As of Saturday, he was being evaluated by the team’s medical staff” but Coach Claude Julien said today that he expects Chara to be in the lineup for tonight’s Game 2. (WEEI)

“Chara had five shots on goal in 25:06 of ice time in Thursday’s Game 1” and was arguably the only player apart from Brad Marchand who was psychologically present for Game 1. Chara was on his game and performed according to the usual expectations, which are quite high.

Game 1 Performances: Carey Price not a Major FactorBrad Marchand played, well, just like Brad Marchand. He’s fast, intelligent in his decision-making, plays with the physicality of player twice his size and does his best to draw penalties. All that is enough to get the job done–in the regular season. Let’s hope the same will hold true in the post season.

In contrast with the performance of the rest of his team, Marchand was the highlight of the night for many Bruins fans.

On the D side of things, the essential components that Chara brings are sometimes overlooked in a fast-paced game in which the fans are focused on the next much-needed goal. But this analyst counted approximately 4 excellent Montreal opportunities directly shut down by Zdeno Chara Thursday. Were it not for Chara Thursday, the game could easily have ended 6 – 0. Read the rest of this entry →

So Andy, how do you feel the Bruins will fare in their first round match-up with Montreal?

Well it’s hard to get your hands around it given the teams that they’ve played and the lack of meaning that the games had over the last week or so. I think, first and foremost, I like their health. It seems like they have all hands on deck, which is a good thing because it’s depth and their balance this year. That being said, I can only make an educated guess that they’ll be ready to play. They’ll be emotionally involved and I love the fact that they’re playing Montreal in the first round, because they know they have to be emotionally involved right off the bat, so that I like.

So much buzz has surrounded the Zdeno Chara’s hit on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty. Does that just add more fuel to the fire this time around?

Yeah, I think going into Montreal games 3-4 and the circus that will be because of the recent history between the two teams, specifically that hit, will definitely add fuel to the fire. It will be a charged atmosphere, more so than it normally is. Again, I just hope that the core group of the Bruins team that has been through the playoff wars of the last 3-4 years has learned, because they played Montreal, have learned how to best deal with such situations.

As Douglas Flynn at NESN reports, things are going to be getting a little weird after this first week of playoff activity because after Thursday’s Game 1, Saturday’s Game 2, and Monday’s Game 3 in Montreal, “the clubs have to wait until next Thursday for the second game in Montreal, with Game 4 pushed back a day because the Bell Centre is occupied on Wednesday for a Rush concert.”

The strange scheduling situation might be indicative of a hidden layer in this program, or it might just be a pleasant coincidence for the Canadiens. If foul play has occurred, the greatest beneficiaries will be already hurting investors with a great deal to lose if the Habs go down. This will be revealed in what follows.

First, let’s look at the weird series of Bell Center events that lie ahead.

Playoff Schedule Weirdness
You would think that the Bell Center is more than capable of scheduling a Rush and Lady Gaga concert around its all-important hockey team. Maybe that’s exactly what Geoff Molson has done. Read the rest of this entry →

The Montreal Canadiens had the best of the Boston Bruins during the National Hockey League’s regular season, but Don Cherry doesn’t believe that trend will continue in the playoffs.

The two Original Six rivals open their best-of-seven playoff series Thursday night in Boston. Montreal won four of the six regular-season meetings between the two but the colourful and outspoken host of CBC’s Coach’s Corner believes injuries on defence will be the Canadiens’ downfall against the Bruins.

“They (Canadiens) are not the same team without Josh Gorges and (Andrei) Markov,” Cherry said during an NHL conference call Monday afternoon. “That’s a big killer to them right off the bat.” Read the rest of this entry →